The Hunt
by theStarcrest
Summary: A man with the power of nature in his grasp and a woman half shade hunted by her kindred. How will they ever be able to survive together and raise a family with their caotic backgrounds always coming back to haunt them? ((I asure you it does have someth
1. visions and remembrance

The Hunt

By Anya O' Jacobs

1 Power 

Silver orbs stared out from a pale pixyish face framed by what looked like a stream of molten copper. A thin hand brushed a few stray strands behind one pointed ear as with the other hand she pulled an arrow from the quiver at her back. She notched the arrow to the string of her long graceful bow, balancing on the balls of her feet small body tense and muscles rippling beneath her skin. She might be small but she was anything but helpless. She was clad in a brown homespun shirt and pants in the same simple color that were tucked into the top of soft brown leather boots designed for walking in silence.

Eywn pondered the vision in the still pool of water that was once again clear. What did it mean? The old man reached one gnarled hand to his silver beard in thought. His green eyes were troubled yet he seemed a bit detached from this worry at the same time, like an ancient tree as if it had been around forever holding the knowledge of the universe but to tired and old to tell you if you tried to ask.

A small child her purple hair windswept from flying landed beside him folding her large purple wings at her back. She waved a dark-blue hand in greeting.

"Grandfather! Meeka wants to see you!" They all called him that, Grandfather, but then again he was old. He tried to recall how old but after a few minutes gave up, his memory wasn't functioning that well any longer.

"Grandfather?" The girl's tone sounded worried. Actually the whole tribe was a bit worried for this old man who had been with them since any could remember.

"Hum? Oh yes Meeka..." Eywn lacking wings relied on the ancient pure magic of nature that found a home in him to fly after her, although it was more like walking on a surface created by power. The name of the woman who was asking to see him brought up memories of another Meeka from long ago. A Meeka who was an ancestor of the tribe leader today, who had looked rather like the little girl flying in front of him. Those memories brought back other memories, much more painful memories. Would he ever see the woman of these other memories again, the woman called Cladi, the only woman he had ever loved? Maybe he would and then again maybe he wouldn't. He lost his train of thought as a majestic bird with emerald feathers flew by singing its song of the free wilderness.

"Grandfather!" He drew his eyes away from the creature of the sky. The girl was hovering impatiently ahead. She had wanted him to follow her. For what reason, he couldn't remember. He sighed and followed her.

The arrived at the tribe's home, a grove of ancient monolith trees. In each of these trees there were huts on the branches but they were built around the branches and trunks accommodating the trees and were being constantly rebuilt as the trees grew, for these were a people who respected and based their culture around nature.

"Ahh! Elder Eywn!" Only the tribe leader called him that. The others just said 'Grandfather'.

"Yes Meeka?" He smiled at the woman, she had just been elected leader and took the responsibility to heart.

"I see Talla found you alright."

He nodded. Ahh so that's why he was following the girl. He knew the reason would come to him eventually.

"We have received something for you. It came by way of a falcon."

"What exactly is this item that you speak of?" Falcon... He'd heard that before...

"An envelope, Addressed to you."

"Interesting. May I see it?"

"Of course. Just wait here a moment and I will get it."

He was left standing there as Meeka flew off to get the letter in question. Eywn feeling tired went over to the base of a tree where an exposed root lifted up forming him a seat.

"Thank you." He sat down gratefully. A frinklas rolled by on its greenish-brown fuzzy body. Its squeaked a greeting to him and rolled over to his feet wiggling in joy as he reached a hand down to pat it. Then it squeaked farewell and rolled away again. By the time Meeka got back he had forgotten all about the letter.

"Elder Eywn?"

"Hum?"

"I have your letter."

"Letter? I haven't written any letters."

"No elder it's a letter written by someone else for you."

"Oh." He took the letter and cracked the seal pulling out the thick yellow parchment from within. Opening the letter he began to read. As his eyes took in the words the old man's vision became blurred and a drop fell from them onto the page before he wiped the tears away and read the last of it. His heart skipped a beat as he reached the signature.

"Cladi!" He cried aloud rereading the letter. Then reading it again. Tucking it into the breast pocket of his robes he got shakily to his feet and hobbled over to his tree-home. Levitating up to the front entranceway, he was to old for climbing the stair-like branches up, he entered the hut. Going straight to the center of the room and placing his hands on the gnarled trunk of the ancient tree.

"Wise old friend, I need to ask one last favor of you." He paused giving the tree had saved his life once before as he had killed himself trying to rid his mind of the disease that made him an insane killing machine time to consider. It had mended his torn spirit with power and replaced the damaged area with the same power making him no longer human but rather a force of nature that talked, ate, and thought like the human he had once been. This tree had been his home for almost a millennium, and with Cladi gone it was the closest thing he had to a friend.

"I need you to renew me. Please I implore you to bestow upon me youth, for I need it to go to Cladi." These words came straight from his heart and the tree heard him out. Not listening the way you or I do, but understanding all the same.

He began to glow with an eerie light in the late evening as the sun was just disappearing beyond the mountains in the distance and the world's three moons began to rise into the night sky. One was a crescent as it always was, and the other two were full.

An ear splitting cry escaped his lips sounding horse and strangled at first but growing stronger and louder as time drew on, awaking the entire tribe who began to gather around watching through the branches and leaves that made up the walls of his home.

The winkles on his skin began to smooth out as muscle that had faded with age was replenished and his posture straightened. The hair that fell around his ears and into his eyes slowly turned from silver to flaming red. His beard fell out in clumps falling around his feet and a look of utter pain twisted his now young face. Eywn stumbled back from the tree as the glow around him started to fade and he dropped to the ground vision fading into blackness as the pain started to leave his body along with the glow and a sigh escaped his lips. Face untwisting into a triumphant smile, he dropped into a blissful sleep.

When he awoke he was on his bed of springy moss with the village healer bending over him as well as the entire tribe hovering nearby. He wondered vaguely why but then recalled yesterday and grinned leaping out of bed. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt this alive.

"Good morning to you as well!" The others were looking at him with awe and slight fear, which dampened his mood a bit, but only just.

"All of you look as though you've never seen an old geezer young again!" And with those words he swung down out of the tree using branches and waving goodbye to the tribe he had spent most of his life with set off on his quest to go to the aid of his one true love.

The tribe watched him as he disappeared over the crest of a hill in the golden glow of the early morning sun.


	2. questing

2

Quest

Had he already passed this pond? Eywn sank down by the bank of the pond in exasperation pulling the letter out of his pocket. He had exchanged his heavy old robes for a light brown tunic and darker brown homespun pants. He went barefoot, as over the centuries the bottoms of his feet had become as hard as orcilupos hide, which you could compare to that of the earth animal the elephant. Opening the letter he began to read it again.

**Dear Eywn,**

**I got away from my imprisonment as things started to die down with the shades. I'm not completely sure if I am finally safe from them though. I am currently working at an Inn in the other realm for food and board. I'm writing to let you know that I'm still alive and still think of you dearly. I hope you are well and get this letter.**

**Love,**

_**Cladi Falcon**_

Maybe he could trace her through the letter. Somehow he could use it as a portal to the other realm, to transport to the exact spot that the letter was written. His brow furrowed in concentration and beam of blinding light came at him from the surrounding nature enveloping him in that light. Then he vanished light and all.


	3. reunion bliss

3

Inn

There was another flash and he found himself standing in a pile of hay with wooden walls on either side of him and an annoyed mare about six inches away from him. The horse swished her tail in his face as he moved carefully to her side out of the way of her back hooves. He stroked her mane trying to calm her and the mare calmed instantly sensing the magic inside him.

This creature was not as he seemed at first, not human surly, for he had the sent of the wild on him.

Eywn left the stall as another horse across the stable neighed a greeting. He smiled at the friendly gelding as he left the stables and spotted the old run down Inn nearby.

"This must be the place. I wonder how long it's been since she wrote that letter." He doubted Cladi would stay here for long but you never know... He circled around and entered through the front door scanning the tavern that met his eyes. He saw an old woman with horns growing out of her head and leathery black wings, a scary looking man with an arm made out of steal and a steel eye that looked rather digital, and a few other out of the ordinary folk, but none that looked like Cladi. Eywn sighed going over and sitting in a corner. Despair was threatening to envelope him but he held it back with thin strings of hope that were fraying with each passing moment. Maybe she just isn't here at the moment, and she'll be back soon? Or maybe she's just in her room or in the kitchens? He spotted a scullery maid scarf tied over her hair and grease and food stains on her brown homespun dress. He got up from the corner and approached her cautiously. Maybe she would know if Cladi was, or had been here.

"Excuse me Miss." He tried to get her attention. She stopped sweeping but didn't look around at him.

"Sorry to interrupt but... You don't happen to know someone named Cladi Falcon do you?" The woman turned to meet his gaze and the broom dropped from her hand. He stood stunned for a moment.

"Cladi? Cladi is it really you?" Same feather shaped scar under her eye, same silvery hair, same young and mischievous Cladi.

"Eywn!" Cladi threw her arms around him almost in tears.

"I missed you so much." Her voice was cracking and she actually did start to cry.

"Me too Cladi. Me too." He tilted her chin up and kissed her. He had forgotten how much he loved to kiss her.

"Aw ge' yar selves a room!" Some drunkard yelled from the bar among that catcalls of the rest.

After a few moments Cladi became aware that they were standing in the middle of the tavern and her boss could walk in at any moment so she broke away and pulled him outside.

"How did you find me?" She asked though it didn't really matter.

"I traced your letter." Eywn wondered how she would react to such a display of how his earthen magic had strengthened, but surprisingly she just took it in stride. They had both changed even though it may not appear so on the outside.

"I'm so glad you did, but Eywn..."

"Yes?" He held her encircled her in his arms smiling down at her upturned face.

"The danger may not have passed yet. They may still come after me."

"Have you ever known me to run from danger? I would have come to you long ago had I known where to find you. Besides that's exactly why I'm taking you back to earth."

"But so many years have passed! What if it's no longer as we remember it? What if Voldemort won and Harry died and all we would be doing was walking out of the frying pan and into the fire. If Voldemort won then earth would just be a hive of evil and a magnet for the demons."

"Its better than staying in the demon's home world. Now lets get some sleep and talk more in the morning." He stifled a yawn as she nodded and led him to the barn where she slept in the loft. They curled up together in the hay ignoring the annoying scratchiness of it just happy to finally be together.


End file.
